Santa's Second List or the Origin of Elves by Pienuniek
by Naughty or Nice Contest
Summary: Have you ever wondered where Santa's elves came from? Or how they live on the North Pole? Join us on this journey and find out!


**Contest entry for the Naughty or Nice Twilight Christmas Contest**

 **Title:** Santa's Second List or the Origin of Elves

 **Pairing:** Edward & Bella

 **Rating:** T

 **Word Count:** 13,677

 **Summary:** Have you ever wondered where Santa's elves came from? Or how they live on the North Pole? Join us on this journey and find out!

 **Disclaimer:** Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.

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 **Santa's Second List or the Origin of Elves.**

A Greyhound bus ticket, one new backpack filled with a few clothes and necessities, and a thrift store, thick winter coat was everything Bella needed. She left the shelter in Port Angeles without saying goodbye, leaving most of her cash in its donations box. Now that her father had succumbed to the cancer, she could finally start her life. At least, that was what the minister and all the ladies at the shelter said. She didn't understand what they were saying. Her life was good, and she was helping people her way. That was when she decided to sell everything that was left of her father's property and leave the town of Forks. In the donation envelope, she left behind most of the money she made on his possessions and the sale of the house. She also added the registration and keys for the old truck her father had because she knew it wouldn't hold up to a cross-country trek. She could have used her money to buy herself a plane ticket to her destination, but she wanted to see the country and thought air travel a waste of money if it wasn't reindeer powered.

-SSLotOoE-

Mash, beans, meatloaf, repeat. Edward was serving the evening meal at the soup kitchen he chose that day to help. There were so many in New York he could choose from that he had to limit his efforts to one borough per month. His green hoodie had seen better times, but if he was lucky, it would hold up for one more season. His mom had said he should always wear green to bring out the color of his eyes. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember hearing her saying it. But he couldn't remember it anymore. After his parents died of a weird virus they contracted in Africa where his dad worked for Doctors Without Borders, he'd become a ward of the state and was placed in an orphanage. He'd lived there for seven years until he aged out of the system. The last two years, he'd worked odd jobs to save some money. The orphanage had hooked him up with a boarding house where he could rent a furnished room with a supplied breakfast. It had strict rules, but he hadn't known any better from age eleven. He missed the kids in the orphanage who always came to his room to listen to stories he thought up about Christmas. He used part of his allowance, and later his wages, each year to buy craft supplies so they could make their own decorations. To make Christmas special even if they didn't have much. In fact, Edward felt most comfortable around kids; most adults thought him strange and didn't like him much.

-SSLotOoE-

Carlisle sat in his office at the North Pole and was busy checking the list for the first time. He had to be done with it in about a week when he'd become Santa for about six weeks. Well, he'd look the part he didn't look year-round. He finished the Ms and stretched, turned his plush red office chair around, and admired the Northern Lights from his floor-to-ceiling windows. Esme came bustling in with a cup of her special chocolate milk and a large gingerbread cookie. She, too, would start to look the part after the Thanksgiving feast. She was his Mrs. Claus all year-round, of course, but their wardrobe and body shape would start to transform to be ready for Christmas, the big run, and the addition of two new elves, if the second list was to be believed.

-SSLotOoE-

Eleazar checked the second list obsessively every day. His secret daughter was on it. He fathered her just before he met Carmen. After Santa had brought them to the North Pole, he was ecstatic to have left the normal world behind. He had always used his money, which never seemed to dwindle, to do charitable things. He just felt lonely, had given in to some comfort, and had been with Tanya's mother the one night. The next day, he met Carmen while they were serving dinner to the homeless and his loneliness was gone.

He and Carmen had become elves. They had been on Santa's Second List; that list was at the heart of the magic that made Christmas. Eleazar had found himself at the head of the list office, in charge of the naughty or nice list. After some years, Santa had given him restricted access to the precious Second List; the final vetting of the candidates would always be Santa's responsibility. Eleazar could place deserving adults—those who had been on the nice list all their youth, lived charitable lives, and still believed in Christmas Magic, even in adulthood—on it. He was worried, however, because Tanya's name, while on the second list, didn't act like the other names on it. It was as if the list knew she didn't belong. All the other names glowed softly, where hers didn't. He had a plan, however, and set it in motion straight away. He chose the brightest glowing male name and went to the observation room attached to the list building.

-SSLotOoE-

Carlisle stepped from the shadows and took a look at the second list for himself. He didn't like the last addition on it. The Bostonian Tanya didn't seem like she really fit the list. There were few items on the North Pole more infused with its magic than the second list. It was part of the origins of his world. Millennia ago, it had chosen him and his soulmate to start a force of good in the world. They had been the first arriving at the heart of magic, the core of the community existing in impossible surroundings. It had taken him decades to understand that he lived outside of the reality the rest of the world abided by. When the belief in Christmas Magic waned, scientists proved there was nothing but a slab of ice floating at the North Pole. Carlisle had smiled at the debate that had flared up. Scientists thinking that only things they could see were a fact versus everybody else who told them magic was real but intangible.

Christmas Magic was what kept Carlisle's heart beating and granted him and all his elves immortality. Because they took care of all the children in the world, they couldn't have children themselves. Elves came from two sources. The first was heartbreaking. There were the elves who were deserving children who died on Christmas Day; instead of going to heaven they went to the North Pole and were transformed into elves. Those were the worker elves. Their supervisors came from the second source of elves. The soulmate elves were tested on earth, and if they fit the profile, they got money to spend as another test. If they prevailed with that test, they appeared on the second list. Magic did the rest. The list showed several names that were worthy but only when the right two met, being soulmates, they'd show on the collection page. After Carlisle, in the guise of Santa, had brought all the children their presents, only then would he find the couple and take them with him into the sleigh.

Carlisle sighed, pondering the names on the list, especially the last two females added. One shone bright on the pages but was only recently added to the list under advisement of the monitoring team of elves. Bella Swan had lived quietly to take care of her ailing father. She didn't have the energy or money to deck out their house at Christmas, but she did decorate with stars from craft paper and a few candles. Every year, she baked cookies for Santa and provided him with a mug of aniseed-infused milk. To her, it didn't matter that she was deemed too old. Christmas Magic was real to her. This year, she suddenly worked in any soup kitchen she could find in the Port Angeles area. Her father had finally chosen to go and rest in heaven, no longer in pain. A thing Bella was thankful for.

-SSLotOoE-

When Bella went through her father's papers while she was boxing up the contents of the house, to sell or give to charity, she'd found papers about her absent mother. The woman had left them when Bella was two years old, and they had never heard from her again. At least, that was what Bella thought; unbeknownst to her, her father had received notice from the Chicago coroner about her mother's demise only two years after she left. Renee Swan had died from a drug overdose on Christmas Eve. She was buried, at Charlie's cost, in Wunder's cemetery near Wrigley Field. It was a simple grave and marker. The police department had followed up with a picture and an official place marker letter. Bella had smiled that Charlie had chosen a cemetery near Wrigley Field. He always watched sports and baseball was one of his favorites.

Bella had used her outdated smartphone to ponder Chicago maps and determined that the three-hour layover in the bus schedule wasn't enough to visit the grave and still catch her bus to where she wanted to go. She calculated what it would cost her to live a week in a hostel to travel on Tuesday, a Greyhound discount day, but that didn't pan out. Living on the street in mid-winter Chicago wouldn't work either. That meant traveling to New York on the higher fare the day after she disembarked in Chicago. She'd be able to drain a can of beer against Wrigley Field stadium in her father's name. And maybe see some other sights. All her pondering was done from her cot in the Port Angeles shelter; they offered her a bed after all she had done for them.

-SSLotOoE-

Edward rested his weary body on the mattress he had in his tiny room at the boarding house. He couldn't afford a true apartment for himself. Of course, he had money enough; for years now, his cash stash just didn't seem to end. With a smile, he portioned three-quarters of it to spread around the next day. And he took one twenty dollar bill from the stash for himself. He knew that the next night the remaining bills would have grown again to the same amount he started with each night. His smile grew, and he thanked Christmas Magic for his fortune. When he took his hoodie off, one of the cuffs stayed on his wrist. With a sigh, he pulled it off and fished around in his backpack for a needle and thread. He would have to find a new hoodie soon. Maybe he could visit a thrift store. In a week's time, he wanted to look at least respectable when he would go to watch the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Plaza. After that momentous occasion, he'd switch his charitable intentions from the soup kitchens to the orphanages, helping the children decorate the trees he would donate with homemade ornaments. First order of business however was sleep and stocking up the soup kitchens for Thanksgiving.

-SSLotOoE-

Tanya Denali also counted her never-ending stash of cash. Her division was, however, made entirely differently. To be safe, she used half her stash to do charity, and she counted out two-thirds of the second half to get herself a new outfit. The rest she saved to pay the rent on her apartment near Central Park. It wasn't big, but it was all her own. To her surprise, she found a letter between the bank notes; that was new.

She read the letter and sat back, completely stumped by it. Her first reaction was that the mysterious imps who brought her money every day started to prank her. Her father was one of Santa's elves? Yeah, right. He wanted her to become an elf, too, to be together the rest of their existence. To live forever without responsibilities, besides making some stupid toys, would be great, however. But why did he contact her now? The never-ending money was nice though. She had found it would never run out as long as she used half of it for charity.

The letter also held a grainy photo of a guy she had noticed the last two weeks running around buying turkeys and gifting them to soup kitchens. Her expense was far less because she bought a pallet full of cans of cranberry sauce—the big industrial sized ones. She left one or two cans at every soup kitchen she knew of. Dressed to the nines, she knew her generous gifts would start to get noticed. As soon as that happened, she would add a monetary gift too, implying she'd done that everywhere. Her first action was to hire an SUV and have some neighborhood vagrants help her load her pallet into the back for a small handout. That meant they loaded the cans and she stood by and looked pretty.

The next evening she would attend a gala event organized to finance new furniture for an orphanage. It was a thousand dollar a plate affair, and it also had an auction to raise even more cash. She was sure she could get a very good deal there. That damn note, however, meant she had to change her day. She had to somehow sidle up with that guy and make sure he noticed her in a favorable way. She turned the SUV around and added a sack of potatoes, one of yams, and a crate of greens as well as a side of bacon. Turkey bacon to be sure. That would make one soup kitchen very happy. Two cans of cranberry and all the extras she bought would be donated at the same time as the guy that gave the turkeys. That would make him notice her. To make sure they spent time together, she made a swift phone call to one of her friends. Sorted, he would be happy to dress up and escort her to the charity gala the next day.

-SSLotOoE-

After loading another ten frozen turkeys in a wheelbarrow—a mutant between a wheelbarrow and a stair-climbing trolley—Edward made swift work of carting it to the nearest subway station. He used a red tarp inside his unconventional transport to keep the turkeys clean. Tied together up top, it looked like he had Santa's sack in his wheelbarrow. It was a functional and fun way to distribute the birds. He was happy because the local Target manager liked him for what he did, and this being the third year he was able to do it, he had ordered a hundred birds especially for him and allowed him to buy them at cost. When those ran out in about three days, he had another deal with a turkey farmer for another hundred birds. If he kept to five birds per soup kitchen, he would single-handedly provide over two-thirds of the New York soup kitchens with a true Thanksgiving dinner. It was always the hardest to get the meat for that feast. Everything else was donated to the food bank and distributed to the soup kitchens. He didn't like that he was still a hundred birds short to serve all the soup kitchens.

-SSLotOoE-

Carlisle walked around the snow-covered landscape deep in thought. Something wasn't quite right, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. The elves who saw him leave on his stroll knew not to bother him with their production numbers. After all, if everything was on schedule, Santa didn't need to be bothered at all. He followed a secret path, which only existed in his head, toward the entrance of a cave. A cave in a mountain unknown to anyone but him. The top of the mountain looked to be a giant, perfectly round ball. That ball rested in a cradle of rocks that housed the cave.

Carlisle had to be honest and admit that, if it weren't for the rocky exterior, the mountain looked more like a snow globe than a true mountain. A tingle of amusement entered him, coming from the mountain—the heart of his North Pole base of operations and only accessible by the true Santa. Mount Snow Globe, as he had dubbed it, held the source of Christmas Magic in the world. As soon as he passed the sentry rocks, looking like nutcracker soldiers, everything inside the mountain came to life. Gone was the rocky exterior; inside were colorful displays of Christmas trees and the mountains of presents that glittered in the thousands of lights surrounding Carlisle's faithful chariot, the sleigh. He skimmed his hand over one of the curled runners, making the bells chime softly in recognition. On that day, however, his destination was not his magical mode of transport. No, that day he would find out what was wrong on the second list. His destination was the big cave inside the ball of the mountain. The cave that throbbed with magic and so often helped him work out his troubles.

He took the exit from the first cave that wasn't decorated, and the spiral path up was barren as well. His footsteps echoed through the corridor that led to a hatch in the ball. Entering into the heart of Christmas Magic always took his breath away. The fact that the inside was as if he stepped into a giant glass ball that had just been shaken up was mind boggling to see. Snowflakes the size of small cars drifted around, erratically merging with one another, only to become two new snowflakes moments later. The universe behind the glass of the ball gave him enough light to see where he was going. The stars were his twinkle lights. He knew if he were to look down at himself, he'd be Santa for the duration of his visit. The snowy mountains surrounding the North Pole gave nothing away. The Pole was striped red and white in spiral bands with a small heavily decorated tree on top. Until Carlisle reached the pole, all the glittering snowflakes were just that, even though he knew that each flake represented one of his elves, current or future. The smaller flakes were those souls who were born and showed promise, the children who landed on the nice list each year. The medium screens were the ones he was interested in that day. Those were the very limited amount of adults who still believed and lived their life accordingly.

As soon as he touched the Pole, his request was registered and the medium flakes lined up somewhat. They came close, but snowflakes were snowflakes, and it was hard to make them do anything that wasn't playful. The heart of each flake transformed into a film of ice, but when Carlisle looked into those ice mirrors, he could see and observe the person the flake was representing. Carlisle coaxed three of the flakes to come nearer and play with each other. The color of the flakes struck him at once. Two of them were so white they seemed to be lit from within, while the third player was off-white, so much so that the flake almost seemed gray. The edges of this one were also not as smooth as he would expect of a future elf. Why would someone that unworthy still reside on the second list?

With a flick of his wrist the gray snowflake turned on its vertical axis like a tornado and, after about a minute, stopped, and started showing Santa all the images relevant to his query in the life of that human. She had been born nearly twenty-five years ago. His eyes went wide when the evidence mounted that this individual had to have been helped her entire life because she really shouldn't be on the second list. A list full of altruistic persons. When he saw the note she'd gotten in between her daily delivery of money, he knew and would put a stop to it. While he was pondering his options, the gray flake sidled up to one of the white ones and bumped it, clearly wanting to merge. The white flake shuddered and flew to hide behind the second white flake to make sure he was safe from that merging. The second white flake skittered across the room toward some small flakes who had trouble keeping afloat. But not before Santa saw the image of a beautiful brunette kneeling in a graveyard.

-SSLotOoE-

Her objective firmly in mind, Bella didn't linger at the bus station when she arrived in Chicago. She did, however, buy her ticket to New York for the next day. She was glad she chose to take a day in Chicago; after two days on a bus with no time to change clothes, she wanted to find a hostel to stay at for the night and take a long shower. However, her first goal after buying her ticket was to find some form of public transport to take her to Wrigley Field. In her backpack, she had a can of, what her father called, vitamin R. In his honor, she was going to baptize the hallowed sports grounds with the contents of the can. From Wrigley Field, she could walk to the cemetery with its awesome name. Bella knew a little German and knew that wunder meant miracle in German. She didn't know why her father chose Wunder's Cemetery, but she found it apt.

The christening at Wrigley Field went off without a hitch. After all, she christened the outside of the building. She sighed after memories of her dad's antics in front of the TV whenever Wrigley Field came into view enveloped her. When she wanted to indulge in them and take the stadium tour, she realized her miscalculation. Because of Thanksgiving, the stadium was closed. Tears came to her eyes for a moment before she found her determination again. She was in Chicago to say goodbye to both her parents, and there were quite a few things she wanted the woman who gave birth to her to know.

With the map app on her phone set to Wunder's Cemetery, she started to walk. On the small screen, the distance didn't seem that much, but it took her a good half hour to get to the gates of the first cemetery. This wasn't the right one however. It looked like a Jewish burial ground with the Star of David on every headstone over Hebrew text beneath it. She noticed that most of the graves had pebbles on the headstones. Those people were loved even after death. Her grave would probably be like her mother's—untended and alone with just her name and dates of birth and demise. She found that she wasn't that distressed about that fact as she had thought. It would give her soul freedom to pursue the Magic of Christmas to its fullest, and not for herself but to help her fellow man.

Following the gates of the Jewish cemetery, she found the entrance of Wunder's with the two-piece statue in its protective case. And it wasn't long after that she found the simple headstone that held only the name Renee Higginbotham-Swan. The small stone stood out in the corner of the cemetery she was in. All around, the graves were only marked by small, engraved metal plaques that held a name and a number; the three graves beside her mother's headstone were all Jane and John Does. One look around showed that this part of the grounds wasn't set up with people comforts. There were no benches. Bella took off her backpack and put it on the ground in front of the lonely headstone and used it as a seat. After some quiet contemplation, she began to speak.

"Okay, Renee, I need to let this go, so you're going to listen. You broke Dad's spirit when you up and ran when I was little. You hurt me too; suddenly, my playmate was gone, even if you mostly watched TV and threw me a box of cereal for lunch. You know, you said often that it was Forks that brought you down. Not. True. You did that with your selfish behavior. I'll tell you that Dad did a great job raising a lost little girl while he was hurting himself. Through all the years, he never told me you died. He just stopped talking about you. Avoiding my questions.

"I don't know how it works, but I'm sure you're not in the same place he went to. He died of cancer just a few months ago. I'm a grown woman who has lived the life of a spinster to take care of her father while I should have been in college, and that's your fault. If you would have shown some backbone, and fought for your relationship instead of pushing your own wishes and desires, he might not have developed the cancer. Everything shitty in my life is your fault. The taunting I received at school because my mom had run away was horrendous. I never had friends because I couldn't trust anyone. You must be so proud that you pissed your life away on drugs. Yes, I found the papers, and they stated you died of a massive heroin overdose.

"I'm sure you cheated on Dad plenty to get your fixes. I'm glad I never had friends of the male variety; that's right, all those things you took illegally I have never experienced. No college; so your biggest argument against me came true. But you know what? I didn't ruin your life; you did by always finding something you lacked because of us. I just know that's how you came to your end. One more shot because the last just wasn't enough. Pretty pathetic, don't you think? Even though you were married to the sweetest guy, it wasn't enough, and that's entirely your own fault. I've learned one thing from you, and that is if you find what you need, you hold on and fight for it. Goodbye, Renee. If they granted you Heaven, which I doubt, please learn to appreciate what you have not look for what you lack."

Bella stood up, hoisted her backpack in place, and walked away with her head held high. A weight lifted from her shoulders she didn't even knew she carried.

-SSLotOoE-

The sweets workshop held a very special corner. It was Esme's workshop all her own. She stood there admiring her big range, the place where she fulfilled her part of Christmas Magic. When she turned her back on the range, she studied the pictures on the wall. Twenty-four pictures of snowflakes hung in two rows. There was one more picture, but that one didn't seem to want to stay up on its hook. The flake also looked as if the smoke from the range had soiled its face. Esme grabbed it from the ground and polished the glass front of the frame, only to discover that flake actually was that gray, not the soot she expected there to be.

"Oh my, you don't belong here at all, do you? No wonder the hooks don't want to hold you," she said under her breath. "However, by the looks of it, there's a great chance we will get a new couple of elves this year. Let's hope they meet in time for Christmas."

Humming carols, she turned back to the range and added another pot to its magical top. Without any interference from her, the burner underneath the new pot lit up, and the pot itself filled with a creamy, white liquid. Esme smiled at the ceiling, silently thanking Christmas Magic for providing the necessities. A fire and a pot full of reindeer milk were her responsibility now. While the milk was slowly heated, she started to mix a host of secret ingredients into a bowl that already held a mixture of cocoa and sugar.

After all her preparations for the elves' brew were ready, Esme turned her attention to the Santa pot already bubbling away on the range. This cocoa would affect the change for the holiday time of year. From Black Friday on, both Carlisle and she had to drink a mug of the concoction a day. She already changed their wardrobe around earlier in the day. To activate the change, she had to add the last ingredient on Thanksgiving.

Digging the bottle with poinsettia extract from the pocket of her apron, she held it up into the beam of starlight falling through the skylight in her workshop. She watched intently for the change and smiled when the bottle started to sparkle with the absorbed starlight, the purest form of Christmas Magic, untouched by anything on Earth until it fell on the bottle. When the sparkle changed into a radiance, Esme quickly pulled the stopper from the bottle and poured the contents into the Santa brew. A firm stirring later, the brew changed color from deep brown to a glowing reddish brown. The Santa brew was ready.

-SSLotOoE-

It took Tanya four hours to get ahead of the guy with his ridiculously Christmassy wheelbarrow. Didn't he know it was Thanksgiving not Christmas? Why should she sidle up to him? The guy, goddamn, looked like he lived in the shelters he donated to. She wasn't at all sure that she wanted to get close to him. She was afraid he would smell like all those bums too. But to be close to her father, whom she always thought to be a spineless wimp for not being there, was strangely exiting. To know he watched over her from afar and made sure she lived an enchanted life was even more exhilarating. She realized that the guy, oh all right, Edward, might dress to fit in with the homeless wretches. Before she went to the last soup kitchen on her list, she made a call to her reporter friend, Bree, to document her generosity. Her plan was laid out, and being a bit early to meet up with Bree was part of it. If her friend noticed Edward, she could drag him into the item.

"I'm standing here before St. John's Bread and Life with one of its greatest benefactors, Miss Tanya Berkovskaja. Together with the staff, she's making sure that every man, woman, and child staying here will have a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.

"Miss Tanya, thank you for joining us. Please explain to the public how you started doing this," Bree started the interview.

Tanya looked around and saw Edward exiting the subway elevator with his wheelbarrow. She almost scoffed at the red tarp now painted with rough snowflakes.

"Well, Bree, I got a windfall and wanted to help my fellow man, you know," she replied with a giggle. Her eyes trailed off to the produce piled in front of the soup kitchen.

Bree followed her line of sight and jumped at the opportunity. "So, how did you pick this soup kitchen to receive all this?"

"I didn't pick anything; every soup kitchen in New York City will receive the same." She had to work to keep looking straight at Bree while she boldfaced lied to her. In her mind, she added two cans of cranberry sauce.

The camera was still pointing at the entrance when Edward came to the door, not paying any attention to his surroundings. He looked, however, bewildered at the pile of trimmings for the Thanksgiving feast. His eyebrows rose when it looked like exactly what was needed beside his turkeys. He knew it was the third year he'd done this, but he was charitable not gullible. This was too much of a coincidence. Suddenly, he was accosted by a bouncy reporter who breathlessly finished a question he didn't catch and pushed the microphone she held in his face. A strawberry blonde, pimped-out woman was right on her tail. He shook his head and knocked on the door.

The blonde sidled up beside him when he spotted the camera pointed straight at him, too. With a huff, Edward turned his back on it and once again knocked, a bit frantic and louder than before. He put out his hand, pushed the microphone away, and hissed, "Look, I don't want to be filmed, and I find it very rude that you assault me with that thing without asking my permission first." He turned to the perfume-wafting blonde. Eying her with disdain, he said, "And you, lady, keep your distance; you're in my personal space, and I don't like it. If you want to do an item, want to be acknowledged for your charity, fine. Just keep me out of it."

The door opened and a very large and menacing guard stepped out, keeping the door open while Edward pushed the wheelbarrow inside. Tanya and Bree wanted to follow, but the guard just stood there, filling the doorframe, shaking his head. When they kept trying to get inside, he barked, "No press on the premises." Stepped inside, he closed the door with a bang in the surprised faces of the women.

Bree made the throat-slicing signal, and the cameraman stopped his camera. He knew this was a bullshit assignment. Yeah, his boss wanted human interest, but the subject of the interview was nothing more than an attention-seeking whore. If he was the one choosing the interviewees, he'd have chosen the reluctant man with the wheelbarrow. There was a story there, a true philanthropist. Too bad that those types avoided the press at any cost.

"Look, Tanya," Bree started, "I can't take more time for this. I've got a grandmother to interview who cooks Thanksgiving dinner for an orphanage every year. We're going to go. If I were you, I'd make sure your donations get inside before they disappear. See you."

With that, she and the cameraman jogged to their van and left post haste, leaving a fuming Tanya on the sidewalk. She looked around and couldn't find anyone who could move the produce inside. She stomped her foot and plopped into her car, taking off with wheels squealing.

-SSLotOoE-

The observation room in the list building was normally a quiet room. A room where dozens of elves tracked and recorded the behavior of every child on the naughty and nice list diligently. Problem cases were sent through to the smaller, separate room where Eleazar, as the master of the lists, had to make the difficult decisions. He could look into every person on the planet, not just the kids. Since he found out that his one-night stand had produced a daughter, he had her in a frame in his observation room. After he witnessed her failed attempt at seducing Edward, his hopes looked to be dashed, and he went on a rampage.

The worker elves who were silently working shot up in their seats; Eleazar wasn't known to be an easy taskmaster, even when he was on an even keel. They hadn't seen anything like this, though. He was throwing the frames in his space against the world map on the wall. The elves couldn't fathom what triggered such an outburst.

"You stupid, vapid bitch. I told you that you had to research him before you approached. You ruined everything! Now, how can we be together? I've helped you your whole life, and this is what you do? Don't you understand that I can't be with you in your world? Argh, this was the year it was going to happen. I've worked for this the last twenty-five years, and you just go all skank on him."

He plopped in his chair and stared at Tanya's frame. He watched the encounter once more and deflated more and more. He had ignored his soulmate for a spoiled little girl who never learned the consequences for her actions because her absent father neutralized them. He realized he had to come clean to Santa, but he also knew his boss wouldn't be in his office until he was done starting the season.

Without his knowledge, one of his worker elves had slipped out of the building and ran for the sweets workshop. If Eleazar had payed attention, he would have known that Mrs. Claus could always reach her husband.

-SSLotOoE-

Two days before Thanksgiving, Edward was still going hard distributing his turkeys. He was also resigned that he wouldn't find the last hundred he really wanted. Frozen wasn't feasible anymore, and who'd have a hundred fresh turkeys to give away so close to the big day. He hung against the wall of the subway car contemplating his plight when a sharply dressed man stepped up to him.

"Hello, my name is Dave Montfort, and I've seen you all week in the subway with that wheelbarrow. What are you doing, if I might ask?"

"Oh, hello, I'm Edward, and I've been donating turkeys to the soup kitchens around the city to help bring the homeless a true Thanksgiving. I'm almost done with the birds I did get on time."

"You're still short?" Dave asked.

"Yeah because I refuse to pat my own back and advertise where I got the turkeys, most shops won't deliver large amounts of birds at a reasonable price. I buy them, no worries, but I can't afford the retail price for a hundred fresh birds. That's how much I still need to distribute but don't have, yet.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to draw you into my worries," Edward stuttered to the smiling man opposite him.

"My God, man, you're a force to be reckoned with all on your own! But I'm going to surprise you. I'm going to help you out. I'm the general manager of the Brooklyn Costco, and if you're willing to follow me to my store, we're going to solve your problem right now. I can get you your birds easily; our store buys in big, as you might know. We already got a shipment of frozen birds we ordered for Christmas. I can order those again easily. I'll pull them from storage and put them in a refrigerated truck to thaw slowly over the next few days. We're going to distribute them together using that truck in time for Thanksgiving."

"Whoa, wait a minute! I'm overjoyed, but I can't do the truck if it is advertising Costco. As I said, I want them to have a nice Thanksgiving without feeling indebted to anyone. And I'm paying for those birds. I hope you can give me a nice price."

"First of all, we don't have refrigerated trucks at the store. But I can borrow one from a friend. It's unmarked; well, that's not true. It's bright red like your tarp, and after Thanksgiving, he has a load of Christmas magnets he puts on. He's one of the good guys who lives for Christmas from Thanksgiving to the New Year.

"The turkey price? Well, how does seventy-five cents a pound sound? They're cooled not frozen as such. They're fresh birds stored at 26 degrees. These birds normally retail for about two ninety-nine a pound. I have to look at the number and sizes, but from what I remember, most of the batch are on the big side. Around 20 pounds. Interested?"

Edward did the math in his head and knew he could do it with the money in his stash now. At fifteen dollars a turkey and a stash that afforded him about three thousand dollars a day, it was a steal. He could even throw in some extras like marshmallows for the sweet potatoes he knew every soup kitchen got loads of every year. He stuck out his hand and declared that Dave had himself a deal.

"Well, my stop is after this one; let's get to my store and sort things out. With a little bit of luck, we can finish your stash first and maybe even make a little dent in our combined stash."

And, that's what they did. and Edward had an extra bounce to his step while he followed Dave along the pavement to the big shiny Costco storefront.

-SSLotOoE-

After spending the day, and night, in Chicago, Bella was glad to leave it behind. She had to splurge and rent a bed in a hostel because volunteering at the shelter didn't automatically earn you a bed like it did in Port Angeles. But before she would fold herself into a chair for another full day, however comfortable, she was convinced she could splurge on a bed.

After she walked one more time around Wrigley Field, she was still sad that her bus would leave at the time the first tour would be given.

She'd given thanks the night before for the opportunity she was given to witness the one event she wanted to see in person and not on TV. The lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Plaza. Her father couldn't afford the airfare to bring them both to New York for just one day. She pleaded and pleaded to go every year. The only thing he could do was make sure that he taped the happening to make sure she could still see it. For him, it was the start of the Christmas season.

While staring blindly out the window of the bus, Bella immersed herself into memories of her father. The most vivid was the argument they'd had when all her friends stopped believing in Christmas, and Charlie had thought it prudent to inform her of the truth.

"Bells, honey, come here. I have to tell you something. I don't like to do it because you seem to love this time of year," he sighed deeply. "Sweetpea, Santa isn't real," he said, shaking his head, his eyes sad.

"Don't be stupid, Daddy. Of course, Santa's real. The kids in my class have just lost touch with the magic like all you old people have. The spirit of Christmas is what's important. Being giving to your neighbors and making people, even those you don't know, happy. I don't understand why the Christmas spirit would only be special one day in the year. Also, the day most kids I know act as if they're the greediest, most spoiled creatures on the face of the earth. If that's what makes it special, I'd rather be charitable in the spirit of Christmas all year. You box the decorations up down here, but you're leaving my room alone!" Bella almost spat at her dad, turning on her heels and running up to her room.

Yes, that fight had taken place in the New Year when Charlie wanted to box up the decorations until Thanksgiving. Bella had refused to take her decorations down and dedicated a corner of her room to the Christmas spirit. Every year, she added to her North Pole-themed miniature village—one building or set of figures at a time. It was the only thing she ever thought of herself first about. It had broken her heart to part with the village. But she knew she couldn't take it with her. She couldn't, however, sell it to a collector. She boxed the whole thing up, took it to the orphanage in Port Angeles, and gave them all her Christmas decorations, including both trees and all of Charlie's decorations. The people there asked her to help set up the village so they could see how it should look. They spent a nice afternoon with the older kids setting out the small buildings and the adorable elf statues around the big snow globe Charlie had bought for Bella when she turned twelve.

-SSLotOoE-

It was enough! Carlisle had to go and take his cocoa to start the transformation. To be ready—to be Sinterklaas in the Dutch-speaking countries on December fifth—in time. But before he went anywhere, he grabbed Tanya's flake and took it with him. He had to investigate, and he could only do that from his office.

He set the bedraggled flake into a special frame, making it possible to look through its history right up to conception. It wasn't long until he saw all the tampering that had been going on with this soul. A spiteful little girl had grown into a callous woman with only one goal: to make it big. He categorized how often she had been on the nice list when she actually belonged on the naughty one. He shuddered when it became clear that it was every time from three years of age. She'd been rewarded time and time again for bad behavior, cultivating her greedy ways. Then she'd been urged into charity and placed on the second list, giving her the means to live like a socialite. She seemed quite happy spending Christmas magic funds on herself. Figuring out how much was the minimum she could spend on charity to still get the money.

After his review, he knew what he had to do. Only one elf could have made all these changes, and he wanted an explanation. Before he could order said elf to appear before him the carillon chimed Jingle Bells, alerting him that he had only half an hour left before he'd be too late to change. He locked his office door and opened the hidden door by pivoting one of the bookcases after he gave a snow globe, which held an image of Santa, a shake. Behind the door was a multi-directional transportation system; it was far more than an elevator. Without looking, he pressed a big red button. Christmas Bells jingled and the bookcase closed by itself.

-SSLotOoE-

Edward had closed the deal with Dave, and they called Buddy, the man with the refrigerated truck, for help. He jumped at the chance and would be at their disposal the next day at eight AM. Edward arrived bright and early and saw the bright red truck already parked at the loading dock.

Edward took one look at Buddy, who slid out of the truck, and he was absolutely sure that was what an elf would look like being forced into the normal world. Buddy was wearing a bright green sweater with red cuffs and a white and red striped pair of pants. For shoes, he wore bed slippers with a curled toe in bright yellow with red bells attached to the points. On his cheeks were exited bright red spots in perfect circles. His head was covered by what could only be categorized as a pointed sleeping hat in green rimmed with white and a golden bell at the point.

"Welcome, welcome, great benefactor. Good people are blessed in the light of the Christmas Spirit. Let's get things loaded," Buddy sang loudly over the parking lot. A few early customers looked a bit disgruntled at his exuberance, but when the noise stopped, they retreated back into their own bubble, to Edward's great relief. Although he didn't like the attention Buddy seemed to attract, he did feel some kind of kinship with the exuberant man. Buddy looked like he lived and breathed Christmas all year round, exactly like Edward lived his life, just a bit more introverted.

David had made sure that all Edward's birds had been loaded into Buddy's van the night before so they could come up to refrigerator temperature. The farm birds that were left were fresh; they just had to pick them up.

That night, Edward went to sleep with a very good feeling inside. He had reached his goal of supplying all soup kitchens in the city with at least five birds; big birds, too. Only six days until the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Plaza. He would take a bit of a breather, only sourcing materials for the orphanage decoration-making marathon that would come next.

-SSLotOoE-

After Carlisle drank his cup of cocoa that would start his transformation, he kissed Esme for the last time as herself that year and slipped her a note about the troubles he had to solve before the official start of the season. He turned on his heels, and with a wave over his shoulder, he once again boarded his multi-dimensional transport. This time, he chose the sleigh garage as his destination. The reindeer stables were where he needed to be. While the cocoa was slowly absorbed into his body, he could feel the renewed boost of Christmas Magic taking hold.

He entered the stables and saw a few of the younger elves, those very young children granted elfdom, busy dressing the stable boxes with fresh pine garlands decorated with red bows and big golden bells. Even though the Christmas song about Rudolph with his red glowing nose had been around for quite a while, and he had a dedicated box in the stable, Santa never really had a Rudolph reindeer. Some of his regular reindeer brought friends to act the part, wearing an artificial nose, made by Esme from holly berries and sugar, blown into a ball that was filled with starlight.

Santa, because his beard already grew as white as snow, sent one of the elves to summon Eleazar to come to the stables. A regular occurrence, they did go through both lists in the stables every year. That year, however, would be very different. While he waited, he went into the tack room and changed into his magical Santa suit that would grow with him. Then he went to the box of his Lipizzaner stallion Amerigo, who was trained to walk on roofs. He rubbed him between the ears and gave him a few sugar lumps. Amerigo rested his head over Santa's shoulder until he spotted the nasty elf. He stamped his feet and retracted his head, pushing Santa toward the elf who always scoffed at him.

Santa turned around after he stroked Amerigo's neck one more time.

"Eleazar, thank you for joining me this Thanksgiving Day. Please take a seat."

Two elves ran up with bales of hay, setting them in the middle of the circular stable.

"This year we're doing things a bit differently. I've already reviewed the lists and came across an anomaly in the second one. After an in-depth investigation, I've found that the last twenty-four years the same anomaly has taken place on the naughty or nice list."

Santa looked at Eleazar, who gulped and started to panic. What had Santa found out? There was no way he could ever find out Tanya's complete history, could he? From what he had seen, his actions should be non-traceable.

"Eleazar, I made a mistake twenty-five years ago. I should have forgone the addition of the soulmate elves that year. Why, you might think. The couple was bonded and lived their separate lives according to the rules. You should know that I have a special room where every elf, child, and worthy adult is represented by a snowflake. The flake changes color according to the worthiness of the one it represents. A long while ago, one of the chosen flakes acted most peculiarly. Its life force light flickered from bright white to a dull gray very fast.

"This year, I've found that one of the second list flakes should have never been on it. That flake is a deep gray; so gray that I started to research why it was on the second list. Even adults who aren't worthy of the second list but live good lives without living in the spirit of Christmas all year round, aren't that dark."

Eleazar became more and more nervous. Beads of sweat started under his elf hat and trickled over his head slowly. He knew he was caught; Santa obviously had more knowledge than he anticipated.

"You tried to pull the wool over my eyes, Eleazar. It stops now; the flickering of your flake should have warned me. You weren't virtuous, were you? You chose to have a fling with some woman to alleviate some perceived ache. You can't deny it because you have a daughter who was born nine months later.

"You know what you did. To me, the worst crime was that you had your daughter try to lead the male candidate of this year's couple astray. All to have a selfish, manipulating harpy join our ranks as an elf. For this, you have forsaken your place here at the North Pole. You can't go back because immortality is irreversible."

Santa's speech was interrupted by a line of eight reindeer filing into the stable. Each reindeer walked into its own box. Vixen stood before her box and looked Santa in the eye. He walked over to her, putting his hand on her neck. _Is this him?_ He heard her voice in his mind. With a solemn nod he turned back to Eleazar.

"You have corrupted everything elves stand for and have tainted the Christmas Magic with your deeds. All privileges you bestowed on your daughter will be revoked, and she'll be removed from all Christmas lists. Your name is forfeit, and with the help of Vixen, you'll be once more transformed; this time, for the rest of eternity. I hope you'll learn to enjoy the blessings you have instead of yearning for those you don't. From now on, you'll be Rudolph and live with the reindeer."

Eleazar's eyes grew wide, but he knew he had messed up royally and couldn't protest. He hung his head and waited for his fate to start.

Vixen stepped up under the skylight in the roof of the stable. The starlight fell freely onto her glistening coat. After a few minutes, her antlers started to glow. At that moment, Santa put his hand on her neck again, and her antlers began to pulse brighter and brighter until she threw her head down, pointing her antlers at a shaking Eleazar. The Christmas Magic collected in the antlers released as a lightning bolt and hit him square in the chest. The light dissipated, revealing a smallish reindeer with a bright red nose.

Rudolph walked into his box with his head hung low. Santa thanked Vixen and left to prepare for the season.

-SSLotOoE-

Tanya had thoroughly enjoyed the spotlight and the walk down the red carpet at the charity dinner. Her mood plummeted when the only thing in her magic moneybox was a note that no more funds would be forthcoming. She had left a quarter of her stash in the box like usual, but even that money was gone. The tantrum she threw was epic; never before had she been stopped doing just as she liked. Her horror became even deeper when it became apparent that everything she'd bought with the magic money had also disappeared. She hadn't noticed when she waltzed into the apartment, but it seemed she had to be grateful she rented it furnished. The only things in her closet were secondhand jeans and a few sweatshirts. The next day, she found a letter in her mail confirming that her lease would be terminated as per her request on the first of January. She knew she had to find a job, and fast, or she would become a statistic eating at the soup kitchens she had looked down upon.

-SSLotOoE-

There were no more gray flakes marring the scenery around the North Pole inside Snow Globe Mountain. Santa loved sitting on the bench and observing. The only things he didn't like too much were his long beard and hair. It was almost half the length he'd need it to be to become Sinterklaas; the wind would blow the strands into his eyes and mouth. He was glad the magic would give him a haircut the sixth of December after he'd traversed the rooftops on Amerigo in the Dutch-speaking countries.

More important were the two, brightly glowing flakes that danced around each other. He'd studied them and was convinced both of them would fit perfectly within the North Pole community. He'd rarely seen flakes that bright inside the globe. He'd followed the brunette—he'd found out was named Bella—on her journey to fulfill her lifelong dream. All while he saw the turkey guy—now named appropriately, Edward—making arrangements to be useful while watching his favorite event of the year. As a born New Yorker, Edward had been brought to the Rockefeller tree lighting as soon as he could walk, even if he was perched on his dad's shoulders. He still felt his heart fill with joy when the chosen celebrity pushed the button at twilight to douse the city with Christmas Magic. When he landed in the orphanage, he'd snuck out and made his way to be present. That's when he discovered the charity stands at all entrances of the plaza. From then on, he helped at the Trees for Orphanages stand every year and took over organizing it when he aged out of the system.

Santa looked at Bella's flake and had to smile, she almost vibrated out of her seat from excitement on the daylong bus journey that would bring her to New York. Instead of only seeing the start of the Christmas season on TV, where the random celebrity was always more important that the actual event, she would be near the tree when the stars imitating Christmas lights would start their yearly re-energizing of goodwill in the world. Bella had an ironclad conviction that charity was born out of Christmas Magic. That was why she always chose to help others regardless of the time of year. Her father had taken up all of her time, not that that wasn't in the same category, but before he got bedridden, she went often to a shelter to help out. She even did their laundry once a week until she left. Her preferred charitable action was buying basic toiletries to make sets to hand out with the bed linen. She got great deals at Walmart, and even then, her pocket money would never diminish. If she spread her purchases over a week, her Magic money would be there every time.

She had to find a worthy cause to donate the frighteningly big stash that had grown over the last few days. Donating time and money was not possible while traveling by bus. She dropped amounts in every collection can she found at the roadside diners, but the amount given to her every day was simply too much to put into the smallish collection cans; her stash had grown considerably.

Upon arrival, she stood, a little forlorn, staring at the subway map of New York, plastered on the side of the Port Authority bus station, trying to work out what the best and cheapest way to Rockefeller Plaza was. She was pulled from her thoughts by a car horn behind her, blasting out jingle bells with actual clinking bells added in. When she turned around, she knew she was saved; this creation could only be concocted in a brain running on Christmas Magic. It was a cab; that much was clear from the taxi sign on the roof. That sign, however, was the only thing making it a New York cab. The hood was green as was the frame of the car; the doors and trunk were bright red, tinsel hung from its antenna, while golden garlands were woven into the rims. A festive atmosphere exuded from the windows, which were hemmed with multi-colored twinkle lights. Last but certainly not least was the driver who jumped out of the car in full elf getup. In greens, reds, and yellows with accents in white, and bells tinkling.

Bella stood there, mouth agape, until the elf made eye contact. A feeling like home spread through her, and that was when she was completely certain she stood eye-to-eye with the real deal: one of Santa's elves. Buddy started mumbling to himself something he knew most souls wouldn't notice, but it would be picked up by anyone viewing the flakes in the observation rooms.

" _Well, most important head list elf, Eleazar, this is what I would call a deserving soul. The one you said I should help reeked of self-importance; a gold-digging, spoiled bitch. You only made it worse!"_

Santa saw and smiled he knew his investigation had unearthed the truth, and Buddy was sharp in his observations. He sent a message to Buddy's communications ornament dangling from the rear view mirror in his cab. Bella, whom Buddy had coaxed into the cab, didn't notice a thing because she was busy looking at the opulently decorated insides of the cab. The roof was entirely covered by a mat of woven garlands, red from front to back and gold from left to right. On each intersection, a bauble hung swaying with the cars movement. The twinkle lights jumped colors around and around to the rhythm of the carols that emanated from the radio.

Buddy had put Bella in the passenger seat beside him, and when Bella turned in her seat to see the back of the cab, she was glad he'd put her there. Above the backseat, the baubles were replaced by sprigs of mistletoe. The sheer amount of them made it impossible to sit on the backseat without having to kiss, in Bella's case, herself or the driver silly.

After a short drive down 41st Street, Buddy had to go around the library and Bryant Park to follow 5th Avenue until Rockefeller Center was on his left-hand side. Buddy made a U-turn, parked right in front of the center and jumped from the car, ran around, bells jingling wildly, to open Bella's door. It was then that the smile on Bella's face grew even bigger. She realized that she never gave the elf her destination, but she could see glimpses of the enormous Christmas tree between the cherry pickers filled with men draping the tree with its lights.

In front of the center, several booths were set up, and people were busy decorating them with Christmas cheer and signs of the causes they were there for. From one of those booths, a man ran to greet Buddy, but when Bella stepped from behind the elf, he froze. Edward was speechless; the feelings coursing through him were off the scale intense. He felt completion, home, and a deep connection all at once and all for the beautiful brunette. Bella didn't fare much better. The bronze-haired man took her breath away; she was rooted to the spot. She felt like she'd come home. Their gazes locked, and Bella looked into his pine green eyes while Edward likened her orbs to chocolate milk.

"Bella, Edward," Buddy sang, "please meet Edward … Bella," he continued with a big grin on his face. After the message from Santa, he knew he witnessed the meeting of his new elf friends.

Edward shook himself out of his daze first and took Bella's hand, dropping it almost as fast when a jolt of electricity zapped between them. Bella was jolted out of her ogling the Greek god named Edward. She recognized that this was where she should hold on, like she told her mother she'd do, if the circumstances warranted it. She grabbed Edward's hand and held on with the renewed jolt. It was almost as if their touch resonated with each of them. After the initial spike at the first contact, the current running between them settled in a nice hum.

They never noticed Buddy skip back to his cab; they didn't even hear him blast out another happy Jingle Bells on his car horn. Edward towed Bella to his booth—it was as good as finished. He closed it up and they sat inside, munching on candy canes and drinking hot chocolate that Bella had dug out of her backpack. They talked well into the night. Using the space heater and Bella's sleeping bag to keep warm. Edward dashed out and returned with a large bottle of water and four hot dogs. When they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer, Edward took Bella to his boarding house and snuck her into his room. She had to sleep somewhere safe, didn't she?

When they cuddled on his mattress, two bright white flakes at the North Pole merged into an even brighter one. It was good that the reindeer could only talk to Santa because they were the only ones seeing his ridiculous victory dance. The fact that particular flake was only slightly dimmer than his and Mrs. Claus's flake made him do the dance all over again. Never, in all the millennia he had lived, had a soulmate flake been that bright. That year, he and his wife would become mentors. This couple would become their second-in-command and heirs.

A few days later, Edward and Bella stood side by side when Robert Pattinson pushed the button that lit up the tree and doused the crowd with its Christmas Magic. The Trees for Orphanages booth collected enough to give all orphanages in the state a big tree and decorations.

-SSLotOoE-

The couple became inseparable and worked tirelessly to provide all orphanages with homemade decorations and placemats. Santa couldn't fault them for the extra attention they gave to Edward's old stomping ground. With their combined money stash, they bought toys for all the kids who lived there, and Bella took those who wanted to go into the kitchen to bake cookies for Santa and for the kids themselves. After the kids went to bed, she kept going and made box after box of the delectable treats that the kids could sell from a little booth at the curb in front of the orphanage. The money from that business venture was put into the orphanage's account to pay for extras like birthday cakes and Easter eggs.

On Christmas Eve, Edward and Bella sat on his mattress looking at the small tree they got for themselves just before the tree salesman closed up shop for the year. They had gotten dinner at one of the soup kitchens after they helped plate up for the homeless staying at the attached shelter. They munched on the leftover popcorn after they made garlands for their tree. A few battery-operated strings of twinkle lights and craft paper ornaments completed their own source of Christmas Magic. Around midnight, they set out their plate of homemade cookies and a glass of milk flavored with aniseed. They kissed each other and cuddled up on the mattress.

They were woken by a racket right next to them.

"Really, Rudolph, can you be any more conspicuous? Retract your legs, that'll get you unstuck," a deep voice spoke.

Bleary eyed, the couple looked up and, in unison, shot up from the mattress. There, right before their eyes, stood Santa—the real life Santa—totally oblivious that he had an audience. With a few more coaxing words, a small reindeer with a bright red nose fell from the heating duct, its hooves slipping on the linoleum flooring. Santa turned around to find two pairs of eyes following his every move. The two adults were reduced to a childlike state.

"Well, hello. Bella and Edward, I presume?"

His only answer was a couple of bobble-headed dolls nodding their assent.

"I see I'll have to talk until you two find your voices. Let's see, you two have been on my second list since you became adults. The second list exists to find new elves. There's a series of requirements and tests you both have excelled at. So, I'm happy to announce that I will be taking you to the North Pole, and you'll become the newest elves to join the ranks. Mrs. Claus and I have very nice assignments for you," Santa spoke, nodding his head at them.

"Oh, before I forget. Elves are immortal and won't have any children. They're there to care for all the children in the world, not be distracted by their own offspring. I'll take Rudolph up to the sleigh and be back for those excellent cookies. Please decide if this is what you want. See you in a bit."

Without sparing them a second glance, he touched Rudolph and brought them back to the sleigh. He tethered the disgruntled reindeer behind the vehicle and readied it for departure.

"Oh, Rudolph, when I take you to see your daughter at the shelter and bring her the gift of coal, you better show more than that grumpy face. You were at the North Pole to take care of your partner and the kids of the world. By focusing on your child, you betrayed both. Be grateful the Magic didn't take your life away altogether."

Two stories below, Edward and Bella looked at each other stunned. Until Bella whispered, "We're going to fly in the sleigh!"

Edward countered, "Going to be elves!"

They sprang into action, stuffing their belongings into their backpacks. It didn't take them more than a few minutes—that was the ease of frugal living. They put all their money in a big envelope, and Edward ran down the road to the Toys for Tots office and stuffed the envelope into their letterbox. When he stepped back into the room he'd called home for seven years, he was just in time to see Santa pour out of the heating duct. He grabbed his backpack and stood next to Bella, her hand gripping his and entwining their fingers.

Santa looked at their eager faces, happy that they accepted him and his outlandish proposition without question. It proved to him that the Magic had chosen the right couple. His smile grew bigger before he bellowed, "Ho, Ho, Ho! Grab my arm and let's go!"

They touched the fur at his wrists, and in a flash, they were on the roof next to the sleigh, its bells chiming its welcome to the new elves-to-be. Santa patted it and climbed aboard. Shyly, Edward and Bella followed, plopping down in the back seat; the sleigh took off as soon as the last foot left the roof, a protesting Rudolph being towed behind.

"I'm flying. I'm actually flying!" Bella squealed. "This is the only way to fly!"

She bounced in her seat until she saw Edward's face that looked rather green. Santa turned around and offered each of them a candy cane. "Eat it, Edward; it'll help, on top of being the best in the universe."

The cane really did help, and soon, Edward enjoyed the flight as much as Bella. However, their clothes weren't made to keep them warm high up in the night sky. Bella shivered and looked around for something to help keep her and Edward warm; it wouldn't do for them to start off becoming elves with monster colds. A piece of red cloth stuck out from under the front seat, and Bella ducked and pulled it out. It felt like an extraordinarily heavy velvet; it would keep them warm. She pulled and pulled, the blanket just didn't seem to end. There was no way something that big would fit below the front seat. Then a big white rope started to come out and Bella knew what she was pulling on. Geez, Santa's sack was enormous and obviously magical. The material was filling up the entire back seat around the two of them, and it didn't look like she got it all out of its hiding place. It did, however, do the job she wanted it to do; they were now toasty warm.

Much sooner than they imagined it would take, they flew through the curtains of the Northern Lights. Santa explained that it was the barrier between normal time and the North Pole, which existed outside of it. As soon as they left the lights behind, Edward pointed Snow Globe Mountain out to Bella. It was greeting Santa home by showing itself off as a true snow globe. It was the beacon the reindeer homed in on. The sleigh landed with a soft thud and ended up in the cave that was the sleigh's home.

"Okay, you two, I'm going to bring you to Mrs. Claus, she'll give you the primer dose of cocoa. Then I'll show you to your home. Tomorrow, when Christmas is over, you'll start your introduction. Follow me," Santa said, all business. He took them the long way on the path from Mount Snow Globe to the workshop and the village.

Edward and Bella almost couldn't restrain themselves. They were walking through their lifelong dream. The buildings were as whimsical as they had seen in their dreams, too. Everything was like walking through déjà vu.

"Our dreams were the real deal!" Bella exclaimed. "I've been here every night my whole life. It's like I'm coming home."

"You're right, sweetheart, and you made it all the better because I have you by my side. Santa? Is it normal that prospective elves feel out of place all their lives, battling against callous bullies to keep up the spirit of Christmas over the year?"

"Edward, my man, sadly, in this time, humanity has lost empathy for the individual. Prospective elves, as you call them, fight all the time to be seen as normal. Society labels them as eccentric or as freaks. You'll be glad to know you're finally among like-minded creatures.

"Ah, here we are. Esme! I'm ho-home. Come and greet our guests."

Mrs. Claus came bustling out of her corner of the kitchen. "Oh, heavens, this must be the two dearies who stole our hearts. Welcome, welcome. Come into my sanctuary. We need to start the process."

With that, she bustled back to her range, and Santa pushed Edward and Bella to follow, gently but insistently.

Bella walked in wide-eyed, the wall of ovens, the gorgeous AGA ranges, this kitchen was to die for. She loved to cook and bake. Edward squeezed her hand when he saw her expression. Yeah, his Bella would keep living her dreams.

Bella and Edward were interrupted by two giggling little girl elves, pointy ears and all. They pointed at something over their heads. When their gaze followed the elves outstretched arms, making them look straight up, they found a beautiful holly wreath hanging flat with a posy of mistletoe in the middle. With a chaste but passionate kiss, they made the little elves happy, their giggles turning into full laughter. With a bow, they ran out of the kitchens, still laughing happily.

Mrs. Claus called Edward and Bella into her corner. She was friendly, but it was clear they were on a tight timeline. She pushed a small bottle with a reddish liquid at each of them and ordered them to hold them up to the starlight until they began to shine. While they did that, Mrs. Claus scooped two big mugs full of a thick cocoa. The moment the bottles went from sparkling to shining their light, she put the mugs in their other hands and removed the stoppers from the bottles for them.

"Put the starlight liquid into the cocoa, stir three times counterclockwise, and then drink the cocoa. This drink will strip your mortality from you. In three days, you'll get a second cup of the cocoa with another addition. Then you'll sleep for three days. You'll wake up on New Year's Day as elves. Please pay attention to everything Santa will tell you. The secrets of Christmas will only be told to you once.

"Drink, drink, then Santa will show you to your house. I'll see you in three days. I just think Bella and I will become great friends."

With that, she turned around while she re-tied her apron. Her Mrs. Claus features were already draining from her natural ones. The weight was always the first to go. Santa also had to adjust his suit. Tightening the braces and belt to prevent his trousers sliding down his legs.

The cocoa was rich and creamy with a hint of aniseed and cinnamon, but the starlight addition almost made it fizz in their mouths. Bella and Edward looked at each other, and although they couldn't see anything different, they felt a weight lift from their shoulders. They stood taller, no longer burdened by their mortality. Santa showed them the dishwasher, and after they put their mugs inside, he took them out of the kitchens. In passing, he pointed out the different workshops that were set on a long street that ended in a big warehouse.

"We work all year to fill that puppy up. Don't ask me how it all fits into my sack; the answer, as always, is Christmas Magic."

In front of the warehouse was a cross street leading both ways. To the right, they saw the path they'd come from, and to the left, a street that led to a village with lots of whimsical cottages. They were all different, some were thatched, and others had tiles on their roofs. A group of them were two and three stories tall.

Santa led them to a single-story cottage that was decorated for Christmas inside and out with homemade ornaments. Bella froze in the living room door, tears of happiness streaming down her face. There in the corner stood her village tree. The one she donated to the orphanage, or at least, a perfect copy. She fell to her knees in front of it and moved a few figurines around to her preferred spots. The carolers had to be in front of the church on the top shelf.

Edward smiled at her and looked inside the bedroom, having his own moment. There over the head of the bed hung the wreath he left behind in the boarding house. The one he worked on every year and that held the only pictures he still had from his family.

The cottage was cozy; it had a bedroom, bathroom, and a living room. When Bella started to look for the kitchen, Santa told them that all meals were communal in the dining hall. Whenever elves were hungry, they could go there and get their food, buffet style. He took them to the front door and pointed out the large pavilion built onto the back of the kitchens. Everything was covered in snow with neat paths cleaned to walk to every door.

"Santa?" Edward asked. "Who lives in the big cottages?"

"Those are the places where the smaller elves live, those that have come to us the other way. I'll explain everything in the coming three days. Now, make yourselves at home and go to sleep. The alarm bell in your bedroom is set for eight o'clock. I expect you two at ten in my office opposite the kitchens."

-SSLotOoE-

At lunchtime the third day of their introduction, Bella and Edward walked toward the pavilion the long way. They looked the part of elves already because they found their closet full of colorful clothes in both their sizes. The only thing missing were the bells on their outfits. At the pavilion, they stumbled upon a curious scene. A female elf was talking sternly to Rudolph, who wanted to follow her inside.

"No, Rudolph, you get your food in the stables. You're no longer an elf, and you've embarrassed me enough. My friends are asking why you're following me and where my mate is. Although that question is rare; you were never there for me anyway."

Rudolph hung his head and left her there, walking away to the stables. The elf burst into tears when a wave of laughter filtered from the mess hall. Edward looked inside and saw that nobody had paid the scene any attention. The laughter was about something entirely different. He turned back to Bella and smiled at his mate. She had the elf in a tight hug and told her they weren't laughing at her, to keep her head high and make the best of it. Edward remembered the lecture Santa gave them about loyalty to Christmas and all the children in the world. The example story was entwined with their own and spoke about the birth of the permanent Rudolph. So this was Carmen; she worked in the toyshop and mentored the younger elves, the children sent to Santa on Christmas Day.

They went past the buffet with Carmen, although she didn't eat much. Bella and Edward were still spoiled for choice, every Christmas staple was on the line. From roasts to hams, and from Christmas puddings to Yule logs. A separate buffet held every candy and chocolate treat with a Christmas theme you could think up. The surprise additions were the traditional Sinterklaas treats of chocolate letters, marzipan figurines, and gingerbread nuts.

After lunch, Santa took them to the places they would work after they became full elves. First up was Edward's assignment. They looked awed at the volumes of the naughty and nice list. The screens used to check flagged names were encased in big snowflakes.

"Edward, you'll be in charge here; most flagged names are easily checked by the worker elves. The cases they can't solve will be put in your inbox. You'll also be responsible for the selection of adults on the second list in close conjunction with me. I'll have to train you; we never want to have what happened this year happen again!"

The short walk to Bella's new workplace had her almost skipping. They went to the kitchens where Esme greeted them.

"Good afternoon. Bella; you're going to join my ranks. We're going to cook for all the elves and bake the treats we put into the presents for extra cheer. I'll also be training you in the magical cookery I do."

Bella's eyes went wide. "Oh, what an honor! Thank you so much, Esme," she breathed out.

"No thanks necessary, dear girl. Now please, follow me; I've got your drinks for tonight. You'll have to drink them at midnight exactly. It'll put you to sleep within five minutes so make sure you're in bed when you drink it. Believe me; you don't want to wake up from a three-day sleep with the crick of all cricks in your neck. It's an eggnog this time, made from reindeer milk and cream, eggs, and the main flavoring is from cinnamon and cranberry. I've put it in travel mugs mostly because I don't want the infused starlight to dissipate. Here you are."

Esme stuck out the two travel mugs, and when they accepted, Carlisle spoke, "Well, that concludes your introduction. Sleep well; we'll see you in the New Year. Please come to the big square when you wake up, then we'll give you your bells and introduce you to everyone before a well-deserved vacation for us all."

-SSLotOoE-

The chiming of a big bell woke Edward and Bella from a deep and dream-filled sleep. They started giggling the moment they looked at each other. Yeah, they had become elves. Pointy ears and fresh complexion. Bella's hair had miraculously braided itself and big red bows held the braids together. Edward's unruly hair turned into a spiky mess that was really attractive. Bella looked disappointed when she dressed. When Edward looked at her with a raised eyebrow, she whispered, "I had hoped we would have our bells when we woke up. I'm a little nervous to stand before everyone, to have them all stare at me."

"Honey, you don't have to be; no one here will judge you like they did in your past. We lived this life already, only in the wrong place. Let's just enjoy it and do our stinking best to help Santa spread the magic over the world," Edward said. He took Bella's hand and encouraged her to walk with him. After she tried to pull her hand free, still of a mind to stay inside their cottage and play with her village, she gave in, and they strolled toward the big square.

The colossal Christmas tree stood easily ten stories high, with a bright white, glass star full of starlight on top. It stood on the inner square of the warehouses. Every surface of the buildings was lavishly decorated with pine garlands, big bows, baubles, and tinsel. The square breathed Christmas. Because Christmas Day was six days ago, Carlisle and Esme stood in their all-red elf getup at the podium that stood near the wall to the right of the tree.

Bella and Edward stood staring at the enormous amount of big and little elves cheering at everything Carlisle said. They took deep breaths, letting the atmosphere permeate their being.

"Aaah, there they are. The new elves of this season. Many of you have seen them during their introduction. I'm very glad to present to you Edward, the new coordinator of my lists, and Bella, who will become Esme's right hand woman.

"Please make way so they can come and collect their bells!"

Within seconds, a perfectly straight path from the entrance to the podium was formed, and all the elves cheered them on when they walked shyly to the podium. Carlisle presented them with two-toned bells, gold and red, and a gasp went through the crowd. Only those really close to Santa in magic potential got those very special bells.

Carlisle grinned at the two when the clock chimed twelve.

"Happy New Year; congratulations on another great season. Have a great vacation, and we start work on February fourteenth. See you all back then. Ho, ho, ho."

A big cheer reverberated through the square.

-SSLotOoE-

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